The Windows 8 SKU (stock keeping unit) prices will most probably be one of the last details that Microsoft will share with the public, save perhaps for the retail boxes, if the company’s history of Windows releases is to be taken into account.
It will certainly be interesting to see the pricing strategy for the next version of Windows, especially in the context of the new rival products from Apple and Google.
When Windows 7’s pricing strategy was still a mystery, I was ready to bet that the Redmond company would ask less money for the new platform, compared to Windows Vista. And I was right, somewhat.
At $119.99 for the upgrade and $199.99 for the full version, Windows 7 Home Premium was indeed cheaper than Vista Home Premium - $159.99 for the upgrade when it launched, and $239.99 for the full OS.
Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions featured price tags of $199.99 and $219.99 for the upgrade licenses and $299.99 and $319.99 respectively for the retail variants. In all fairness, Home Premium is THE SKU for end users, and its price is the one that users care most about.
The operating system landscape today is a tad different than it was at the end of 2009, when Windows 7 shipped.
A key change on the platform market is the introduction of Chrome OS, a free and open source operating system from Google.
Source: Windows 8 Pricing vs. Chrome OS (Free) and Mac OS X (Just $30) - Softpedia